Transformation cost: $31.18
Despite knowing right away what I wanted to do with them it has taken over a year to get around to it. Although the shades were intact they were quite badly stained and were ready for a new lease of life. This transformation was fairly pricey but for a pair of hand-crafted baskets that will add character to my garden I think it was worth it. I can hardly wait to see them overflowing with flowers this summer 😍.
My first job was to strip the shades down to the bare metal frame. After removing all the fabric I was left with binding tape firmly attached to the top and bottom rims. Soaking it in water softened the glue enough to pull off the tape and get the frame clean.
Using branches as paint stands, I applied several coats of Rust-Oleum Metallic Antique Brass to the shades.
I chose this color to match the artisan wire I would be using later.
Now I needed to add more structure to the frames to support the coco liners, soil and plants that would go inside. I attached two strands of 18 gauge antique brass artisan wire to the frames; one at the top and one at the bottom. By repeatedly drawing the two wires together in middle, threading them through a ceramic bead then wrapping them back around the rims, I created a diamond pattern with a bead in the center of each opening.
To finish them off I made bases by cutting discs from leftover pegboard. This will hopefully stop the bottom from falling out when they are planted. Finally I added black hanging chains found at Dollar Tree.
Transforming Trash 